Red Sex Link

I have two Red Sex Link hens and have had them for a year now. Though their egg production is high, they're extremely aggressive towards my other hens and bite me as well when I go in to feed them. I even have to stay in their run while they eat or they continuously chase one hen in particular away from the food (I keep multiple feeding stations), even when they're not eating from the same dish or even interested in the food for that matter. When the hen they have targeted gets on one of the branches in the run, they lay underneath it either together or taking turns, preventing her from getting down for the entire day and if I let them out of the run to range around the yard, that same hen is more often than not too afraid to go back in at night, especially if they've gone in first. These girls were hand raised and were quite sweet when they were very young but became more distant as they aged and are getting increasing more aggressive every day. I enjoy spending time with my birds but not these two. They've earned themselves a one way ticket out of my flock and I won't get this breed again. There are plenty of other more docile breeds that lay very well - these just aren't worth keeping in my flock.

First, let me say that each bird has its own personality. One of my Red Sex Links (RSL's) is the most dominant bird of the flock (3 RSL's and 4 RIR's) while another RSL is the least dominant and prefers to do her own thing. Overall, they have very good personalities, and I think that has a lot to do with how I have treated them since they were little (just feathered out). My neighbor's birds -- including his RSL's and RIR's -- are all terrified of humans and basically feral/crazy.

I haven't thought of breeding my hens, but I might with one of them because she drops BOMBS. An average egg for her is ~85g, with the biggest so far being 103g. None of her eggs will fit in a standard egg carton (see pic below). The other RSL's also lay big eggs. I've never had any health issues with any of my birds that couldn't be corrected with yogurt. I feed them "layer" feed, scratch, oyster shells (just a little...the feed already has calcium), and some dried meal worms.




They love to forage and eat grasshoppers, stink bugs, millipedes, crickets, worms, creepy-crawlies, mouse/vole corpses, grass, leaves, seeds...you name it. They enjoy free ranging -- they are curious and like to forage all over the property, but they also like getting back in their "home" and really chowing down on feed and then rehydrating before hittin' the hay. I generally free range them for 2-4 hours in the evening and make sure they're back inside before sunset.

Like most/all chickens, they are naturally fearful, though they'll peck at my leg if I loiter in their run without feeding them...kind of like, "Hey! Hey you!" They did that with the electrician who was wiring the place, too.

Their "inner coop" (where they sleep), their food, and their nesting boxes are all about 30 inches off the ground, and they have no problems flying up to them even though they are pretty chunky birds.

They are very cold-tolerant, though they don't like snow and will go pretty far out of their way to avoid walking through it. So it's not like they like snow and cold, but they can handle some pretty cold temperatures. Admittedly, they sleep in a coop that has a heater that kicks on at 32 degrees and turns off at around 48 degrees, but they've been outside on days that never got up to 32 degrees and did fine.

They REALLY don't like heat! So even though they LOVE chasing down grasshoppers -- I think they like the thrill of the hunt as much as the taste of their prey -- they'll sit in the shade all day rather than deal with direct sunlight. I would not get these birds if I lived in a desert-ish climate -- that would just be cruel.

BTW, everything I've written about them would apply to my RIR's, except for the bit about egg size. RIR eggs are aroung 60g...your standard "extra large" eggs at the store.

We have raised two red sex links, and they have been the sweetes bird. They are also extremely friendly. If you want a chicken that will lay a lot of eggs like a leghorn, but will have a great personality, get this chicken. They also begin laying very early! I highly suggest this chicken.

Red Sex links are one of my favorite breeds! My Red Sex links name is Henny and she is super smart and is friendly. She also loves to be held and falls asleep if shes comfy while I hold her. She is a great forager and loves worms way more than her chicken food. Just to prove how smart she is, she will jump up on a roosting pole when im around so she can be fed easier without the others eating up her food.

Henny lays nice brown eggs with dark brown specks. she will lay a couple times a week and she does not eat her egg shells like some of my other hens who brake it and eat it when they are hungry (my Easter Egger Feathers does that) Henny is a very sweet hen, she knows her name and comes running when I call her name.

I have had this chicken before, and they are very friendly, sweet chickens that lay extra large brown eggs. I have nothing bad to say about this breed. They get along very well with other breeds, and are very quiet and peaceful most of the time. You won't be disappointed with the Red Sex Link!!

I loved my Red Star. She was my first hen to lay at 17 weeks and proceeded to lay the biggest eggs of the flocks nearly every day. Very social and funny and active. She livened up my mixed flock with her vibrant personality and brilliant butterscotch color. Unfortunately she met her end to a hawk, the first bird I ever lost and I'm very sad about it. Interesting to read how many reviews mention hawk danger. It's true, I guess. She stood out with her bright yellow and didn't have quite the fear or camouflaging ability of her flock mates. I still recommend the breed highly and am getting a new Red Star chick from My Pet Chicken this spring.
Here she is as a pullet.

We purchased our sex-links from a local breeder to try out the hybrid breeds to see how they were. They began laying earlier than our heritages, and more often, but the eggs themselves were thin shelled. All our hens have the same feed and have access to oyster shell inside the coops, none of the heritage breeds have thin shell issues - the black sex links we also purchased do, however. They are very people friendly, and as chicks would like to perch on your arm and eat from your hands. They are not aggressive with the other chickens and are easy to take care of.

Our hens have stopped laying earlier than other breeds, probably due to being hybrid birds bred for a specific person (I've heard birds bred for one thing in particular are not exactly the most healthy or live the longest). Of course, there are exceptions: one still lays really good and has thick shelled eggs, but we received her from another farm when their coop burned down. Perhaps it's genetic.

Our red sex links, compared to all other breeds we own (including the blacks) are the least intelligent. They stay out at night and some of them we have to find and bring in every night because they will stand outside the coop when the sun goes down, not moving. They're quick to find their way out but not in, I guess! Unlike every other bird who runs for cover when an eagle or hawk flies over, our sex links just stand there and look at it, while the roosters screech again and again to warn the hens to go to cover - again, easy picking for predators. They will pace for hours back and forth along the fence-line, while every other chicken has left through the gap we left open when we let them free range, because they don't seem to be able to see it or find it.

We've been lucky not to lose any of our sex links to predators, even with many close calls, due to a very good, protective rooster. If you have sex-links, make sure to watch them carefully! We've had a few go missing at night in winter and turn up the next morning, with really bad frostbite, because they don't return to the coop and simply go somewhere that we can't find them (presumed something had gotten them).

Despite their faults, they are a great breed of friendly, talkative hens who lay well at first but taper off quickly. Great for backyard flock owners who want to get a lot of eggs but don't have a lot of room for copious amounts of chickens. Watch them carefully though.

From all the other reviews, some people have smart ones, so maybe their inability to tell an open door from a brick wall is also due to their genetics. Be careful where you get them!

Got these last spring at Tractor Supply. Yes they like to eat and are prolific layers. Nice enough to me and my grandchildren. So far they have almost killed two of my flock of 7 . They attacked one of their siblings and tried to tear her wing off , got to the flesh before she got away and hid. Now separated in a separate cage from the rest. They of course didn't like the older hen from hello so I separated her out. Left her out of her cage yesterday while they were out free ranging and they doubled back and almost killed her...now all these other pretty reviews.... maybe I just have devil hens but ...I'll never get them again and when they slow down taking them to the Amish to well you know. Never again.


Chickens in the pic is my old hen hatched by my granddaughter in a grade school science project.

I've had these birds before. They are good layers for about a year maybe two. Since they lay so prolifically, they blow out and their little bodies can't really keep up.

I picked up 9 at TSC in April that are just beginning to lay now (17-18weeks) and 6 "comet" versions form a local farmer who buys them from a big hatchery that sells them 17 weeks old "ready to lay". Even the hatchery raised birds are pretty tame, come when they're called, and always come home to their coops at dusk without any fuss. In retrospect, the ones I bought 17 week old were a superb price and after a few weeks of getting to know me are every bit as tame as the ones I raised from chicks. I'd suggest asking around to see if such a thing is available near you since the price I paid was far lower than it cost me in feed and shavings to get mine up to that age.

I let mine pasture all day. They generally are smart enough to stick to cover but seem to forage well exploring the yard and visiting the neighbors. I really have no complaints about the rate they eat food vs how many eggs they give me and generally how low maintenance they are when left outside to do their own thing.

Only drawback is that they're not really pretty or fancy. A fine looking bird, but pretty vanilla compared to some of the pure breeds I see around. They are also very scrawny and I doubt it would be worth the effort to butcher them once their laying days are over.

We purchased 3 Red Sex Link hens at a swap as first time chicken owners without any knowledge about breeds a little over 1 year ago. Although they are not a pure breed chicken, they made me fall in love with owning chickens. They are our pets and we love them. They are docile, friendly, and love to be around people. They produce consistently. Our only issue is that despite the fact we live on 5 acres, when free ranging they would range onto all of our surrounding neighbors' properties, including crossing the street. However, since we obtained a rooster a couple of months ago, they are doing much better about wandering off. Definite high recommendation.

I got 5 Red Sex Links. There names are Regina (aka Reggie), Carrie, Meadow, Henrietta (aka Henry), and Emerald (she's now been put in with the Rhode Island Reds because of not being accepted into the group because of a week of absence from being attacked by a hawk. There all nice girls. We get plenty of eggs from them. Even Emerald lays them. They're scared of snow though. If I'm not mistaking they're a cross of a Rhode Island Red and a Leghorn.

I must be the exception with these birds....they are my first and I am not wild about them. I got them at TSC as chicks (they are 16 weeks now) and they were supposed to be Buff Orpingtons. When I actually got a Buff Orpington locally I realized that they were not what they were supposed to be, and when I posted a picture here it turned out that they are Red Sexlinks.

I lost two pullets early on because they would actually try to escape their cage and get close to the dogs, and the chihuahua thought they were toys. I lost another to some unknown predator that got into their cage..possibly a rat or a snake. A fourth had a lot of feathers pulled out during the attack, but she has recovered.

When I bought a Buff Orpington to replace the one lost in the attack, I got a good look at what they were supposed to be like, and there is a tremendous difference. My little Buff is always the first to come to me, and when I pick her up she perches on my fingers. The Red Sexlinks usually give me a hard time and struggle like they have no idea what is going on. If I am not careful they will scratch me with their claws because they are flailing around. They have been picked up twice a day, every day, since I brought them home, so you would think they would know what is going on, but no. The one that has been handled the most (the one whose feathers were torn out) is the most difficult.

They just seem to have rather contrary dispositions, while the Buff is very cooperative and sweet.

When I expand my flock I am going to stick to Orpingtons.

I would not get this breed again but I do realize the one I had is not usual for the breed.

I LOVED MY FIRST RED STARS, I THINK BECAUSE MY ROOSTER KEPT THEM IN LINE (got rid of him because of my husband) EVERY TIME A NEW HEN CAME INTO THE GROUP, THEY ATTACKED THEM, NOT JUST PECKED THEM TO PUT THEM IN THEIR PLACE, THEY GRABBED THEM AND FLIPPED THEM IN THE AIR. I WOULD RAISE THESE HENS TOGETHER AND MAYBE INTRODUCE NEW HENS IN A FREE RANGE SITUATION. GREAT LAYERS, THEY LAID EVERY DAY NO MATTER THE WEATHER. I ONLY HAVE ONE THAT IS NOT A GOOD LAYER, MAYBE BECAUSE SHE IS NEW AND HAS NOT SETTLED IN. BUT I HEARD THAT SEX LINKS WILL STOP LAYING SOONER THEN HERITAGE BREEDS, IS THIS CORRECT? SHE'S JUST A LITTLE OVER A YEAR OLD!

I have 2 RSL that I bought at the same time as some Black Laced Wyandottes. The RSL are far friendlier and the only birds I have that don't throw a fit when I try to pick them up. They like to be petted, which makes them my son's favorite. They did very well this winter when we had sustained below 0 temps. I will be getting more.

We have one Red Sex Link in our flock and I love her! She's one of the best breeds we've had. She's fairly quiet, lays almost every day, is beautiful (she looks just like a rooster!), has a great personality, and is curious. She's at the top of the pecking order, but I've never seen her be aggressive or pick on any other hen. She was attacked last weekend by a stray dog (she is too fearless for her own good) and I'm so relieved that she wasn't seriously injured. I highly recommend this breed for beginners and those with children.

We have had our 2 Red Sex Link hens for nearly 3 years, they are LOVELY ladies. Lay everyday- spring summer autumn and winter. "help" prune our garden, "help" dig up our veggies, and love getting their daily snack from our neighbour.
Not noisy- a joy to have as a starter pet/ for children.

We have never had any other kind of chicken than a red sex link, so I'm not sure I'm the best one to compare. That said, we love our girls! No, they are not cuddly (like a Buff Orpington) but they come when called, have learned their names, and are absolutely hysterical! They are also extremely smart… We have to be on our toes at all times or they will escape or get into something they should not. We do free range them, so if you kept them in a run at all times this may not be a problem, although given their intelligence they may get bored. We like it though… My husband calls them "therapy".

We got our girls after they have been "retired" from an organic egg laying facility. We have five hens and in the summer, spring, and early fall get five eggs a day probably 4 to 5 days a week. I don't know what we will do when we need to replace them, but I would definitely lean toward the red sex link again!

I have had for of these birds since April of 2014. I purchased them as pullets. They are the most friendly birds I have had. I live in Ontario Canada -32C or -25F here last night and they were fine. They did get a bit of frostbite on thier comb earlier this year so I now try to apply vaseline to thier combs. Seems to help. Also have a heated water dish.